|
i know some might say that CAI is better for mileage, i'm in the HAI camp though... however as it applies to you, i think the stock air intake setup is already something of a cold air setup. actually, the aftermarket setups i think are actually more prone to drawing under hood air. i believe your intake is attached to the fender where it draws air from. the aftermarket air intakes do have a more direct path for the air near the TB, but i think thats the only benefit.
the replacement intake manifolds that are a direct fit i believe are made for a higher rpm than stock which i think would hurt economy. other manifolds are going to require an adapter for the TBI unit, which could interfere with how they were designed to work.
spacers with 2 individual holes i've heard help low end power and increase velocity, also supposedly hurts topend, not that it matters if youre worried about mileage, and these engines have flat top end power at best.... but i've heard little about mileage, seems like a good idea though
its hard to imagine good headers couldnt help, but its probably a matter of how fast it can pay for itself. same with using mandrel bends if you dont have a system with them already....glasspacks/mufflers.. i dont know, it seems i hear alot that engines dont need backpresure... but from personal experience it seems that quieter systems seem to have more low end power and louder have more topend.
something else to consider would be a chip, i know many claim mileage increases. that i never checked out first hand, however i would say that chips offer the best performance gains per dollar of any mod on alot of vehicles... so i'd give them some faith in working their magic.
another spot i think you could see definitely see gains is by replacing the mechanical fan with electric
as with anything, watch your return on investment. i have a truck with the same engine, but i havent sank any money into these mods myself because i dont drive it enough.
you might never see 20mpg, but don't get discouraged. gains look like they come slow when you have a baseline of 12mpg. watch the tenths of mpg, think as a percentage increase. if you could start with a smaller vehicle it would be better, but if you have to drive a larger one ecomods and hypermiling are alot more important to do. look at gallons per 100miles. if you go from 12 to 15mpg that's 8.3 to 6.6 gallons per 100 miles for someone already getting 40mpg to save that much fuel they'd have to increase to 125mpg
|